What is BBEdit 5?

BBEdit is a high-performance text and HTML editor for the Macintosh.

BBEdit is designed for the editing, searching, transformation, and manipulation of text. It provides an array of general-purpose features which are useful for many tasks, and includes many features which have been specifically developed in response to the needs of HTML authors and software developers.

Bare Bones Software, Inc. (1999). BBEdit 5.1.1. www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/bbedit.html

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During its decade-long lifespan, BBEdit has evolved from a stripped-down text editor aimed at programmers to a popular HTML authoring tool.

Though BBEdit’s interface centers around a simple text field devoid of graphics and styled text, the program that surrounds this minimalist swath of mono-spaced type is packed with goodies.

The app’s original killer feature was its lightning-fast multifile search-and-replace faculty, which supports programmable grep searches. When combined with zippy performance, unlimited file sizes, comprehensive scripting support, and a bevy of text-twiddling and text-analyzing commands, BBEdit’s searching power made the program an unexpected cult favorite of tag-tweaking HTML hackers. The last couple of revisions have focused on beefing up its suite of bundled HTML tools to keep up with the needs of this new clientele of Web authoring professionals.

The latest changes may seem modest, but they significantly improve the lot of the HTML scribe. The HTML tools have been relocated to a nicely organized Markup menu that provides a workable alternative to the floating palette. The syntax checker is much stricter, enforcing the etiquette conventions of the HTML 4.0 spec. Context-sensitive Tag Maker and Edit Tag tools offer time-saving shortcuts, and customizable formatting features cater to those of us who are very particular about the appearance of our code. While the improved Glossary palette and the ability to assign custom Command-key shortcuts to any command are of general interest, version 5.0 clearly aims to please Web authors.

Although BBEdit deserves its reputation as a great HTML tool, it’s not an all-purpose Web authoring solution. Novices will benefit from graphical features that hide the complexities of raw HTML, but Web professionals will likely need additional tools for flashy stuff like JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, multimedia, and display graphics — areas where BBEdit’s tools don’t venture. The expert Web authors most likely to appreciate BBEdit's swift and elegant HTML-hacking capabilities will also need a high-end graphical program, such as GoLive CyberStudio (Adobe now owns GoLive) or Macromedia’s Dreamweaver (which includes BBEdit), for these tasks.

When used in concert with a first-class graphical Web page editor, BBEdit finds its natural niche as a code-level tweaker and, thanks to its search-and-replace powers, templates, and updatable “includes” commands, an efficient site-management tool.

Simmons, Mark. (May 1999). BBEdit 5.0. MacAddict. (pg. 52).

Download BBEdit 5 for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

System Requirements

From Mac OS 7.0

Compatibility notes

• System 7.0 or later (System 7.5 or later recommended)
• 1.2 MB RAM

Emulating this? It could probably run under: SheepShaver